Topeka Independent Business Association to Help Businesses
Thrive in the Shawnee County Area
WICHITA, Kan., August 31, 2006 . . . The Wichita Independent Business Association (WIBA) and the Kansas Independent Business Coalition (KIBC) announce the first group formed under the newly re-focused KIBC umbrella. This group, the Topeka Independent Business Association (TIBA), is currently forming a board of directors and will then begin accepting membership applications.
WIBA will assist the Topeka association as it begins its first endeavors on behalf of independent business in the Shawnee County area. Topeka entrepreneur and consultant Mark Hood will lead TIBA as president, and long-time Topeka businessman Ken Daniel has signed on as a member of the board of directors.
"Topeka business owners will now have a unified voice through this association," said Cliff Sones, WIBA president. "In addition to TIBA's focus on issues in the Topeka area, their members will have the full advantage of WIBA's benefits and 75 years of business experience."
TIBA is officially an affiliate of the newly formed KIBC, through which Kansas cities can now form their own associations.
About Mark Hood
Prior to accepting his role as president with the Topeka Independent Business
Association (TIBA), Hood was the marketing director and facilitated clinical
groups at Parkview Hospital in Topeka, Kan.
He is affiliated with Leadership of Greater Topeka, United Way, YMCA, Valeo Behavioral Health Center and the EMS Advisory Board. In addition to membership in several national speakers' bureaus, Hood has been the host of radio and TV programs and has also taught psychology courses in Kansas and Missouri colleges.
His career includes consulting positions with government, non-profit and private agencies on projects related to customer service, organizational change, employee/employer morale, personality types, public speaking and attitude in the workplace.
TIBA Mission
The Topeka Independent Business Association will be the foremost
advocate for the independently owned businesses in the Shawnee County area. It
will work to improve the business climate on the local, state and national
levels. It will provide benefits and services that aid the operation and
profitability of its members.
About WIBA/KIBC
WIBA (www.wiba.org) and KIBC are
associations of privately owned businesses pooling together for benefits that
will improve or enhance their business operation. These benefits include
political advocacy, education, group insurance programs, networking, discounted
services, and research.